Weissmuller ruled the pool in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. He took five golds in swimming and won a bronze in water ... Show More »

Weissmuller ruled the pool in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. He took five golds in swimming and won a bronze in water polo. Over the course of his swimming career, he never lost a single race. « Less

2/20

Johnny Weissmuller gone Hollywood:

He was equally successful in Hollywood -- by way of the jungle. He became the iconic Tarzan for 12 movies, the... Show More »

He was equally successful in Hollywood -- by way of the jungle. He became the iconic Tarzan for 12 movies, then he starred in 13 Jungle Jim movies (where he got to stay fully clothed). He even made three jungle movies playing ... himself. « Less

3/20

Buster Crabbe, Olympian:

Another swimming gold medalist from the early 20th century, another Tarzan. Crabbe took gold in the 400 meter freestyle ... Show More »

Another swimming gold medalist from the early 20th century, another Tarzan. Crabbe took gold in the 400 meter freestyle in 1932, and took the role of Tarzan the next year. It didn't work out, and Johnny Weissmuller remained the Olympian most associated with the Ape Man. « Less

4/20

Buster Crabbe gone Hollywood:

So Crabbe left the jungle -- and turned to space. He played both Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers in the 1930s, and sta... Show More »

So Crabbe left the jungle -- and turned to space. He played both Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers in the 1930s, and starred n countless Westerns besides. He even came back to Buck Rogers in the 1970s -- he played Brigadier Gordon on the episode "Planet of the Slave Girls" in 1979. « Less

5/20

Esther Williams, (almost) Olympian:

Williams SHOULD have been an Olympian -- but World War II got in the way. She won three US championships and ... Show More »

Williams SHOULD have been an Olympian -- but World War II got in the way. She won three US championships and was one of the first women to swim butterfly. « Less

6/20

Esther Williams gone Hollywood:

Williams starred in 26 movies, most of which involved her stripping down to a swimsuit and showing off her underw... Show More »

Williams starred in 26 movies, most of which involved her stripping down to a swimsuit and showing off her underwater moves. Silly? Of course. Enjoyable? You better believe it! Hey, dancing flicks have made a comeback, 3D is all the rage -- it's only a matter of time before water ballet hits the big screen again. « Less

7/20

Bruce Jenner, Olympian:

Bruce Jenner became an American hero when he won the Olympic decathlon in the 1976. Then he spent years honing his craft ... Show More »

Bruce Jenner became an American hero when he won the Olympic decathlon in the 1976. Then he spent years honing his craft and athletic skills to compete again in...no, just kidding. He actually left his vaulting poles in the stadium -- he retired from amateur athletics the moment he won that gold. Time to cash in! « Less

8/20

Bruce Jenner gone Hollywood:

Once you understand that athletics were a route to fame and money, Jenner's career makes much more sense. There... Show More »

Once you understand that athletics were a route to fame and money, Jenner's career makes much more sense. There were the Wheaties boxes, the commercials, and the tremendously bad entertainment decisions. Chief among them? A starring role in "Can't Stop the Music," the fictionalized story of the Village People. It was the first movie to win a Razzie for worst picture. Compared to that, all those Kardashian shows don't seem so ... no, they're still awful. Never mind. « Less

9/20

Kurt Thomas, Olympian:

Kurt Thomas competed on the US Men's Gymnastic team in the 1976 Olympics, and he was seen as the one to beat in the 1... Show More »

Kurt Thomas competed on the US Men's Gymnastic team in the 1976 Olympics, and he was seen as the one to beat in the 1980 games -- but he didn't get a chance to strut his stuff because of the US boycott. He can soothe his pain with the knowledge that two gymnastic moves are still named after him -- the Thomas Flair on pommel horse and the Thomas Salto in floor exercises. « Less

10/20

Kurt Thomas gone Hollywood:

He can also console himself with the knowledge that he starred in one of the most bizarre, nonsensical and utterly aw... Show More »

He can also console himself with the knowledge that he starred in one of the most bizarre, nonsensical and utterly awesome Olympics-inspired movies of all time: "Gymkata." There's this top-secret martial arts competition, see? And the US government sends him to compete -- TO THE DEATH! And yes, high kicks from a pommel-horse like structure in the middle of a medieval town are key to his survival. « Less

11/20

Mitch Gaylord, Olympian:

The US Men's Gymnastic team has only taken the Gold once -- and Mitch Gaylord was the guy leading that team. In add... Show More »

The US Men's Gymnastic team has only taken the Gold once -- and Mitch Gaylord was the guy leading that team. In addition to the team gold in 1984, Gaylord won silver in the vault, and bronze for parallel bars and rings. And oh yeah -- he was the first American gymnast to score a perfect 10 at the Olympic games. « Less

12/20

Mitch Gaylord gone Hollywood:

His movie career ... that doesn't score a 10. He stepped in as Chris O'Donnell's stunt double in "Ba... Show More »

His movie career ... that doesn't score a 10. He stepped in as Chris O'Donnell's stunt double in "Batman Forever," which was how Robin was able to pull off some of those circus moves. But his main movie claim to fame is "American Anthem," about a boy and his abs on a quest to make the Olympic team. That starring role earned him a Razzie nomination for Worst New Star. « Less

13/20

Michael Jordan, Olympian:

Before the three-peats, before the commercials, before becoming the most recognizable athlete on the planet, Michael Jo... Show More »

Before the three-peats, before the commercials, before becoming the most recognizable athlete on the planet, Michael Jordan was an Olympian. He played on the gold-winning American team in the 1984 games, while he was still in college. And in 1992, he was part of the Dream Team -- that gold-winning group of pros who took Barcelona by storm. « Less

14/20

Michael Jordon gone Hollywood:

And if THAT wasn't enough, he also got to play opposite Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes crew in "... Show More »

And if THAT wasn't enough, he also got to play opposite Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes crew in "Space Jam." How does he do it? It's gotta be the shoes. « Less

15/20

Dolph Lundgren gone Hollywood:

You know him as a movie badass, the kind of guy who dismembers his opponents. But Lundgren also has a master'... Show More »

You know him as a movie badass, the kind of guy who dismembers his opponents. But Lundgren also has a master's degree in chemical engineering. He won a Fullbright scholarship to MIT. But his academic career went by the wayside when he fell into acting. He played KGB henchmen, a Soviet boxer, He-Man, a cyborg soldier and several other bruisers. He even played an Olympic gold medalist stalked by an abusive coach.... « Less

16/20

Dolph Lundgren, Olympian:

... and that role led him to the real Olympics. He headed up the US Olympic team for the Modern Pentathlon in 1996. The... Show More »

... and that role led him to the real Olympics. He headed up the US Olympic team for the Modern Pentathlon in 1996. The idea was his star power would bring fans to the sport. The reality? The movie Pentathlon flopped, and you probably can't even name what sports are IN the competition. (Give up? Pistol shooting, fencing, show jumping, cross-country running and swimming.) « Less

17/20

Tara Lipinski, Olympian:

Tara Lipinski is the youngest person ever to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympic Games. She was just 15 w... Show More »

Tara Lipinski is the youngest person ever to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympic Games. She was just 15 when she won gold in 1998 ... and she decided to go pro only a couple of months after the games. « Less

18/20

Tara Lipinski gone Hollywood:

Lipinski is a great skater... but she's not so hot at picking entertainment projects. Her biggest title was "V... Show More »

Lipinski is a great skater... but she's not so hot at picking entertainment projects. Her biggest title was "Vanilla Sky," where she had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo as "Girl at Party." Then there's "On Thin Ice: Going for the Gold" (also known as "Ice Angel"). It's a TV movie about a male hockey player who dies and comes back as a female figure skater. It's... really not good. « Less

19/20

Serena Williams, Olympian:

What HASN'T Serena Williams won? She's already got two Olympic gold medals for women's doubles. Then th... Show More »

What HASN'T Serena Williams won? She's already got two Olympic gold medals for women's doubles. Then there are all her Wimbledon wins, her dominance at the French, Australian and US Opens. She's been ranked as number one in the world five times, and is the only female tennis player to have raked in more than $35 million in prize money. « Less

20/20

Serena Williams gone Hollywood:

With all that going on, you'd think she'd be too busy for an entertainment career. Nope. Most of her en... Show More »

With all that going on, you'd think she'd be too busy for an entertainment career. Nope. Most of her entertainment work has been on TV shows and animated series, but she id have a role in the Mo'Nique movie "Hair Show." Never heard of it? You're not alone. That flick vanished without a trace. « Less

From the Games to the Screen: Olympic Athletes who went Hollywood

Olympic fame is great -- if you're content with just breaking records,
redefining the bounds of human achievement and, you know, DOING things. But for
REAL fame? You need to be on the big screen.
These Olympic athletes have tried to make the ...
Show More »

Olympic fame is great -- if you're content with just breaking records,
redefining the bounds of human achievement and, you know, DOING things. But for
REAL fame? You need to be on the big screen.
These Olympic athletes have tried to make the transition to movie success.
Some of them stuck the landing. Most of them? Well, they should have stucco to
their day jobs.
« Less